Golden-Level Awakening (Part 1)

"Your martial soul is primarily based on spiritual power. So, if you want your martial soul to undergo a second awakening, we need to approach it from this angle. Fortunately, your application of spiritual power is quite exceptional. Here's the plan: in a moment, I will seal the soul power within your body. From today on, this will remain until your martial soul undergoes its second awakening."Poison Immortal spoke with uncharacteristic solemnity this time.

Huo Yuhao nodded. The so-called "second awakening" of a martial soul was, in essence, more of an upgrade. The Body Sect was considered textbook-level when it came to this topic. They divided second awakenings into four tiers: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

A gold-level second awakening was incredibly powerful—essentially on par with an Ultimate Martial Soul. Just the term "ultimate" indicated its extraordinary status. Martial souls of this level were top-tier, and above them were only divine-grade martial souls.

In the original story, Huo Yuhao's second awakening occurred after he consumed a celestial herb, the All-Seeing Autumn Dew, from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He knew that the primary effect of that herb was to enhance spiritual power, so Poison Immortal's focus on spiritual strength was indeed the correct path.

He would give it his all, and if that failed, All-Seeing Autumn Dew would be his last resort. Huo Yuhao vaguely remembered that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been taken over by either the Tang Sect or Clear Sky Sect, though he wasn't sure about the exact timeline.

Either way, he knew he'd have to find a time to venture there and try harvesting the place. The original Seven Shrek Monsters owed much of their future success to the celestial herbs from that location.

However, if he were to go, it'd be best to bring a few Titled Douluo with him. He knew several of the herbs there had already developed sentience. There were even a few that had cultivated for over 100,000 years.

Seeing his disciple had no objections, Poison Immortal stepped forward and gently pressed a hand on Huo Yuhao's shoulder.

Instantly, Huo Yuhao felt the soul power in his body freeze completely—not vanish, but cease to flow. This meant that until his martial soul experienced its second awakening, he would not improve his cultivation even a little.

Huo Yuhao understood this, but still went through with it. Compared to a slight increase in soul power, a second awakening was a qualitative transformation. Even a fool would know which to choose.

"Master, what's wrong?"Huo Yuhao noticed that his master had frozen in place and asked in confusion.

Snapping out of it, Poison Immortal looked at Huo Yuhao as if he were a giant panda on display. Good heavens—this kid's total soul power was absolutely not something his rank should allow. It was comparable to a Soul Emperor. Who would believe that? If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it either.

On top of that, he discovered the kid's body was abnormal in an extreme way. Normal soul power could only flow through the meridians. But this brat? Every single cell in his body could store soul power. Freakish. What kind of disciple had he taken in?

If Huo Yuhao weren't already his disciple, Poison Immortal would have been tempted to dissect him on the spot.

"Nothing. Let's begin the training."As he spoke, Poison Immortal's spiritual power surged forward like the mighty Yangtze River, pressing down on Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao understood and released his own spiritual power in response. Then, he realized the pressure from Poison Immortal was growing stronger… and stronger.

Half an hour later, Poison Immortal turned and vanished, casting a meaningful glance back at Huo Yuhao. The results of the test had shocked him once again. His disciple's spiritual power was just as monstrous—likely top-tier even among Soul Sages. Fortunately, his martial soul was spiritual in nature, which barely made sense of it all.

Thinking about how Huo Yuhao had always gone around modestly calling himself a mere Soul Elder, Poison Immortal couldn't help but twitch his lips. This kid was too deceptive. Anyone who only judged by appearances would absolutely be fooled.

Poison Immortal left, leaving behind Huo Yuhao collapsed on the ground like a dead dog. His master's method was to use this extreme pressure to trigger the second awakening. It might seem crude and brutal, but it worked. Many second awakenings in the Body Sect were achieved using similar methods.

However, this kind of pressure wasn't child's play—it often pushed people to the brink of life and death and came with immense risk.

Because of this, even within the Body Sect, very few ever successfully achieved a second awakening. Some didn't survive the process at all.

Seven days later, in the morning, as soon as class ended, Huo Yuhao walked out quickly.

"What is it?"In the hallway, Zhou Yi looked at the approaching Huo Yuhao and asked.

"Teacher Zhou, I… I'd like to request a few days off."Huo Yuhao stammered. After taking nearly twenty days off following the evaluation tournament, then asking to move off-campus, this was already his third request. Even he felt a bit embarrassed now.

"Approved."

What?Huo Yuhao looked up in shock, wondering if he'd misheard. He had been prepared to get thoroughly scolded. Since when was Old Witch Zhou so easygoing? Menopause? No, that would probably make her even more irritable.

Looking at the pale-faced boy in front of her, Zhou Yi's tone, for once, held a trace of warmth."Don't push yourself too hard. Cultivation needs balance. Overdoing it can be counterproductive. If you keep this up, you might hurt yourself more than help."

If anyone else had heard this, their jaw would have hit the floor. The famously strict Zhou Yi had actually said something… caring?

She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she'd noticed Huo Yuhao looking out of sorts lately—pale and a bit spaced out. She guessed this might be the "special training" he'd mentioned before.

To Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao wasn't just diligent—he was practically working himself to death. Even someone as demanding as she was found no faults. In fact, she was starting to feel a faint sense of pity for the kid. That was the only reason she approved his request so readily this time.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhou. I understand."Huo Yuhao gave a quick thanks and turned to leave. Poison Immortal had been relentlessly grinding him down these days, even damaging his very soul. He needed more time to recover. Otherwise, forget awakening—he might end up with permanent injuries.

Watching his small figure fade into the distance, Zhou Yi let out a soft sigh. She knew Huo Yuhao hadn't really listened.

At the entrance of Class One, Wang Qiu'er was also keeping an eye on Huo Yuhao. She had noticed his odd behavior over the past few days.

Wait a second—why am I even paying attention to that scumbag?Suddenly aware of her own thoughts, Wang Qiu'er felt a surge of annoyance. She hadn't been harassed by Huo Yuhao lately, so she should have felt happy. But for some reason, her mind kept replaying that moment in the villa when Huo Yuhao had kissed her by force.

(End of Chapter)